2019 Elyse Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley
South Carolina native, Josh Peeples, relocated to San Francisco in 1998 and co-founded a company focused on order management software. As fate would have it, he was energized on a trip to Napa Valley and started crafting his own wine by 2002. By 2018, he would establish a winemaking collective with his partner Cheryl Foil, named 2100 Hoffman Lane.
Josh Peeples’s winemaking partner has been Russell Bevan since 2010. Russell established his early winemaking career at Showket Vineyards and through the years has received several 100 point scores for his wines, including reviews from Robert Parker Jr. in the Wine Advocate.
Sourced from the Dry Creek Valley Appellation, the Elyse Zinfandel is aged for 11 months in French Oak barrels. The deep purple edges glisten in the glass and are brimming with aromas of blue and black fruits along with fresh Spring flowers. The fruit is juicy and compact with dark orchard Morello cherries, blueberry cobbler, black plums and star anise. Layers of savory spices explode in your mouth while the tannins remain ripe, round and supple. Another stellar effort by Elyse.
By W Peter Hoyne